Omessah Chuks Cupid

This study systematically investigates the complex problems and systemic challenges impeding the practice of costume design within Nigerian theatrical contexts, focusing primarily on university theatre programs and professional companies in Benin City, Edo State. Recognized as a vital visual language essential for establishing character identity, social status, and narrative clarity, costume design in Nigeria is fundamentally constrained by factors ranging from chronic resource limitations to inadequate professional structures. Specifically, designers operate under severe financial constraints marked by low budgetary priority, coupled with extensive infrastructural deficiencies such as the lack of dedicated, equipped costume workshops. This environment is compounded by significant educational and training gaps, where a shortage of specialized university programs perpetuates a cycle of amateurism rather than professional expertise. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing a descriptive survey design alongside document analysis of production records. Data were gathered via structured questionnaires from a purposive sample of eighty respondents, including professional theatre practitioners and students of costume design at the University of Benin. Findings overwhelmingly confirmed that costume design is a cornerstone of theatrical success, with over 85% of respondents affirming its role in enhancing aesthetic coherence and audience comprehension. However, the study also empirically validated the severity of the identified problems, revealing structural, financial, and pedagogical limitations as the core obstacles. Key interventions were proposed, with a strong consensus advocating for increased institutional funding (93%), the establishment of modern costume workshops (91%), and developing industry partnerships for material and skill exchange (90%). The conclusion posits that sustainable artistic excellence requires comprehensive systemic reform, including enhanced professionalrecognition and the development of digital archives, to elevate costume design to its rightful standing as a serious creative discipline in Nigerian theatre.Here’s a suitable Keywords section you can add to the end of you’re abstract: Keywords: Costume Design, Nigerian Theatre, University Theatre Programs, Professional Theatre, Benin City, Theatrical Production, Resource Constraints, Costume Workshop, Theatre Education, Artistic Development, Cultural Production, Systemic Challenges, Visual Aesthetics, Creative Industry Reform.